Album Review - Jan. 2008
YorktonThisWeek Jan. 2008 - Album Reviews
SELF-TITLED
TELE
Independent
8-out-of-10
It's always fun to review a band you know readers will have an opportunity to see live, and that is the case with TELE, a band from Winnipeg.
The band, which released its debut CD in late 2007, will be playing at Holly's Nite Club next Thursday (Jan. 24), and after giving their CD a few spins lovers of modern rock will want to check out the show. This is a band with a sound that has definite scope. In interviewing lead singer Matt Worobec for a story (see related article this issue), he talked about the band having a European flavour, and about trying to create a big sound. Well as a lover of symphonic metal, I can hear some of the same approaches here. TELE comes at the listener with some neat musical sounds, such as the intro to the song Lullaby, and the overall approach to the lead cut Hello, Hello. Nicely done boys.
If there is one complaint here, TELE has taken something of a minimalist approach in terms of song length. They are songs which might be perfect for radio lengthwise, but frankly with the sound these guys produce, I wanted them to delve into their work a little deeper. I think they could have taken the product another step by giving themselves the freedom to go a bit longer on some of the cuts, even if that kept them from being popular radio picks. There are times these guys take an epic approach musically, and that begs for a cut or three which flirt with 10-minute masterpieces of sound. They do let go on Notice, and it might be the best cut on the CD (being a toss up with Choose).
Monster is also a song where TELE hits everything just right.
Still this is a hot new release from a band which is taking a different approach to their music than many Canadian bands these days. They simply borrow from sounds beyond our own borders, and it works well for them.
These guys are definitely worth a listen, so check them out next week at Holly's, or find them on the Internet at www.myspace.com/tele
-- CALVIN DANIELS
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Tele Available in U.S.
Tele Available in U.S.
You can now pick up a piece of Tele in Minneapolis, MN.
The Electric Fetus in Minneapolis
2000 4th Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
(612) 870 1747
Treehouse Records in Minneapolis
2557 Lyndale Ave South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405
(612) 872-7400
You can now pick up a piece of Tele in Minneapolis, MN.
The Electric Fetus in Minneapolis
2000 4th Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
(612) 870 1747
Treehouse Records in Minneapolis
2557 Lyndale Ave South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405
(612) 872-7400
McGill Tribune Review
McGill Tribune Review
McGill Tribune - Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Record Review
Tele. Tele. Hailing from Winnipeg, Tele has quickly been gaining a reputation outside of their hometown. At its core, Tele's self-titled debut album delivers solid hard rock guitar riffs fused with complex keyboard arrangements and a dash of modern electronic influences. Imagine the ambition of The Who's Tommy or Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion and combine it with the electronic and art rock sounds of Radiohead and Muse. Arguably the most notable aspect of Tele is how powerful and unique singer/guitarist Matt Worobec's vocals are. Sounding like a cross between Soundgarden/Audioslave's Chris Cornell and Stone Temple Pilots/Velvet Revolver's Scott Weiland, Worobec aggressively delivers his versatile vocal range throughout the entire album. The astounding performance begs the question, however, of whether Worobec will be able to perform as well live as he does in the recording studio. The album is also quite short, clocking in at around 47 minutes and contains 13 tracks, allowing most of the songs to be short and sweet. The unique blend of styles is sure to satisfy any listener willing to open their mind.
McGill Tribune - Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Record Review
Tele. Tele. Hailing from Winnipeg, Tele has quickly been gaining a reputation outside of their hometown. At its core, Tele's self-titled debut album delivers solid hard rock guitar riffs fused with complex keyboard arrangements and a dash of modern electronic influences. Imagine the ambition of The Who's Tommy or Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion and combine it with the electronic and art rock sounds of Radiohead and Muse. Arguably the most notable aspect of Tele is how powerful and unique singer/guitarist Matt Worobec's vocals are. Sounding like a cross between Soundgarden/Audioslave's Chris Cornell and Stone Temple Pilots/Velvet Revolver's Scott Weiland, Worobec aggressively delivers his versatile vocal range throughout the entire album. The astounding performance begs the question, however, of whether Worobec will be able to perform as well live as he does in the recording studio. The album is also quite short, clocking in at around 47 minutes and contains 13 tracks, allowing most of the songs to be short and sweet. The unique blend of styles is sure to satisfy any listener willing to open their mind.
Press Show Preview
Press Show Preview
Winnipeg band brings its bright alt-rock sound to GP
Ian Kucerak/Encore!
Thursday March 27, 2008
Tele
Brendan Berg of Tele is ready to deliver a second dose of the Winnipeg band's rock show to Grande Prairians March 28 at Better than Fred's. He said they've been readying a set list of their best live material to rock the Friday crowd at the local bar.
For those who may have missed their February appearance in town, Tele is a four-piece rock band, headed by singer/guitarist Matt Worobec, bassist Brendan Berg, keyboardist Zack Antel and drummer Derek Allard. Apart from a short stint in Toronto in 2006, Tele has been based in Winnipeg for the four-and-a-half years they've been playing together.
Berg said while the Winnipeg scene doesn't give them easy breaks, it's been good for musical growth. "There's a lot of really talented artists here, very supportive people, but at the same time, fairly critical, so you don't get praised for whatever you do," he said. Berg added the city was a good place for the band to cut its chops and build a following.
The Tele sound is a keyboard-heavy-rock sound, created by the two main songwriters, Worobec and Antel. "It's alternative rock with a definite European influence," said Berg. The band draws on a diverse set of influences he said, anything from heavy metal to rock bands like the Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay and even jazz. "We all have a very broad range of music that we listen to."
Before they formed a band, Worobec and Antel were writing music together, and the keyboard was important back then, as it is now. With the addition of two members, Tele kept the keyboard high in the mix.
"Zack's sound is a way to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the guitar-rock crowd, but I mean the keyboard definitely appeals to our musical sensibility as well," he said. Berg added they were looking to sound unique while still being radio-friendly.
Their 2007 self-titled release is available on iTunes and CDBaby, but was made more as an exercise for the band. "The biggest thing for us with this CD is that we had been playing for three years before we put anything out. We really needed to have something for people to take home with them (from a show)," said Berg.
The future for Tele includes finishing a cross-Canada spring tour before heading back into writing mode during the summer. Berg said they hope to get back on the road in the fall, as well as start a new disc in the winter of '08.
They're not sure at this point whether they want a major label record deal, after the upheaval of the last few years in the music industry. "Major labels have lost a lot of their foothold in the last decade," he said. "In some ways, it could be very beneficial, but we've heard horror stories of bands that get signed onto a major label and then with all the restructuring that's going on, their representative will get fired or something and then their album will get shelved."
Berg said they'll be putting on a high-energy rock show for fans new and old at the Grande Prairie gig. "We try to use all the tools at our disposal to make it as exiting as possible," he said, adding they want to deliver a "good solid set of rock music," for the rock audience in GP.
Tele plays Better than Fred's in Grande Prairie March 28, with opening act The Imports. Further information on the band can be found at www.myspace.com/tele.
Winnipeg band brings its bright alt-rock sound to GP
Ian Kucerak/Encore!
Thursday March 27, 2008
Tele
Brendan Berg of Tele is ready to deliver a second dose of the Winnipeg band's rock show to Grande Prairians March 28 at Better than Fred's. He said they've been readying a set list of their best live material to rock the Friday crowd at the local bar.
For those who may have missed their February appearance in town, Tele is a four-piece rock band, headed by singer/guitarist Matt Worobec, bassist Brendan Berg, keyboardist Zack Antel and drummer Derek Allard. Apart from a short stint in Toronto in 2006, Tele has been based in Winnipeg for the four-and-a-half years they've been playing together.
Berg said while the Winnipeg scene doesn't give them easy breaks, it's been good for musical growth. "There's a lot of really talented artists here, very supportive people, but at the same time, fairly critical, so you don't get praised for whatever you do," he said. Berg added the city was a good place for the band to cut its chops and build a following.
The Tele sound is a keyboard-heavy-rock sound, created by the two main songwriters, Worobec and Antel. "It's alternative rock with a definite European influence," said Berg. The band draws on a diverse set of influences he said, anything from heavy metal to rock bands like the Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay and even jazz. "We all have a very broad range of music that we listen to."
Before they formed a band, Worobec and Antel were writing music together, and the keyboard was important back then, as it is now. With the addition of two members, Tele kept the keyboard high in the mix.
"Zack's sound is a way to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the guitar-rock crowd, but I mean the keyboard definitely appeals to our musical sensibility as well," he said. Berg added they were looking to sound unique while still being radio-friendly.
Their 2007 self-titled release is available on iTunes and CDBaby, but was made more as an exercise for the band. "The biggest thing for us with this CD is that we had been playing for three years before we put anything out. We really needed to have something for people to take home with them (from a show)," said Berg.
The future for Tele includes finishing a cross-Canada spring tour before heading back into writing mode during the summer. Berg said they hope to get back on the road in the fall, as well as start a new disc in the winter of '08.
They're not sure at this point whether they want a major label record deal, after the upheaval of the last few years in the music industry. "Major labels have lost a lot of their foothold in the last decade," he said. "In some ways, it could be very beneficial, but we've heard horror stories of bands that get signed onto a major label and then with all the restructuring that's going on, their representative will get fired or something and then their album will get shelved."
Berg said they'll be putting on a high-energy rock show for fans new and old at the Grande Prairie gig. "We try to use all the tools at our disposal to make it as exiting as possible," he said, adding they want to deliver a "good solid set of rock music," for the rock audience in GP.
Tele plays Better than Fred's in Grande Prairie March 28, with opening act The Imports. Further information on the band can be found at www.myspace.com/tele.
Tele - U of A Interview
Tele - U of A Interview
Tele visionaries combine rock, electronica for big, beefy sound
Tele - The Gateway, The University of Alberta
Simon Yackulic, Arts & Entertainment Writer
Thursday, 3 April 2008
With songs ranging in style from the rough and raw fist-pounding distortion of "Notice" to tunes such as "Monster" that have openings reminiscent of a classical sonnet, pinning down a good descriptor for Tele's musical stylings seems a little troubling. Even the band tends not to talk about it much.
"We sometimes describe it, in a general way, as extreme," explains keyboardist Zack Antel, speaking from Grande Prairie, where he, vocalist/guitarist Matt Worobec, bassist Brendan Berg, and drummer Derek Allard had just pulled in during their Canada-wide tour. "If we're doing a big song, we really make it quite big, and if we're doing a more sparse song, then we try to play that up."
As Antel acknowledges, both their classic rock lineup and keyboard-driven pop-rock tracks evoke comparisons to other bands. To him, "any of the British bands or electronic [musicians]" are considered to be major influences on the band as a whole, and each individual band member has their own personal taste in tunes that affects the musical output: Worobec listens to singer-songwriter pieces to boost his creative edge, while Antel notes his own preference for symphonic material. The net result is the unique sound coming from this Winnipeg-based four piece.
Creative sound engineering also plays a part in the strong sound that Tele creates. To create a keyboard sound that many a casual listener would swear is a distorted guitar, the inventive musicians ran keyboards through guitar amps with guitar effects and distortion, creating a sound described by Antel as "beefy yet also cut." While this has been done before by other bands, it fits in perfectly with Tele's existing sound and creates stronger riffs than a normal keyboard could achieve.
"I love that dirty, fat synth sound, like the band Holy Fuck or Justice—that really thick sound," Antel explains.
Tele is currently independent of any label, despite having received the praise of Chart magazine, where they were touted as "one of Canada's top breakout bands of 2007." While recognizing the advantages a label could bring the band in terms of promotiown and advertising, Antel finds the current arrangement is working really well for the band. Being accountable to only themselves, they remain "in complete control of [their] own destiny" and able to distribute their music extensively over the Internet. The band also looks forward to their return to the stage in Edmonton, where they've found success before.
"We had a blast [the last time we were in Edmonton]," Antel mentions. "The crowd was really energetic and really into it. We're just hoping to repeat that and just put on a really high energy, high emotion rock show."
Tele visionaries combine rock, electronica for big, beefy sound
Tele - The Gateway, The University of Alberta
Simon Yackulic, Arts & Entertainment Writer
Thursday, 3 April 2008
With songs ranging in style from the rough and raw fist-pounding distortion of "Notice" to tunes such as "Monster" that have openings reminiscent of a classical sonnet, pinning down a good descriptor for Tele's musical stylings seems a little troubling. Even the band tends not to talk about it much.
"We sometimes describe it, in a general way, as extreme," explains keyboardist Zack Antel, speaking from Grande Prairie, where he, vocalist/guitarist Matt Worobec, bassist Brendan Berg, and drummer Derek Allard had just pulled in during their Canada-wide tour. "If we're doing a big song, we really make it quite big, and if we're doing a more sparse song, then we try to play that up."
As Antel acknowledges, both their classic rock lineup and keyboard-driven pop-rock tracks evoke comparisons to other bands. To him, "any of the British bands or electronic [musicians]" are considered to be major influences on the band as a whole, and each individual band member has their own personal taste in tunes that affects the musical output: Worobec listens to singer-songwriter pieces to boost his creative edge, while Antel notes his own preference for symphonic material. The net result is the unique sound coming from this Winnipeg-based four piece.
Creative sound engineering also plays a part in the strong sound that Tele creates. To create a keyboard sound that many a casual listener would swear is a distorted guitar, the inventive musicians ran keyboards through guitar amps with guitar effects and distortion, creating a sound described by Antel as "beefy yet also cut." While this has been done before by other bands, it fits in perfectly with Tele's existing sound and creates stronger riffs than a normal keyboard could achieve.
"I love that dirty, fat synth sound, like the band Holy Fuck or Justice—that really thick sound," Antel explains.
Tele is currently independent of any label, despite having received the praise of Chart magazine, where they were touted as "one of Canada's top breakout bands of 2007." While recognizing the advantages a label could bring the band in terms of promotiown and advertising, Antel finds the current arrangement is working really well for the band. Being accountable to only themselves, they remain "in complete control of [their] own destiny" and able to distribute their music extensively over the Internet. The band also looks forward to their return to the stage in Edmonton, where they've found success before.
"We had a blast [the last time we were in Edmonton]," Antel mentions. "The crowd was really energetic and really into it. We're just hoping to repeat that and just put on a really high energy, high emotion rock show."
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